Love and death in Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie and The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy A story is quintessentially American in its optimism and characteristic of the years '90s in its tone; the other shows the unmistakable character of 19th century Russia. The most recent book follows the real life of a sociology professor at Brandeis University, while the other explores a figment of Leo Tolstoy's imagination. Tuesdays with Morrie and "The Death of Ivan Ilych" portray two characters who sit at opposite ends of the literary spectrum but who share the dark bond of terminal illness and advance knowledge of their deaths. One sees knowledge as a blessing and an opportunity to say his final goodbyes, the other writhes in pain and begs for an end to his vicious sentence of suffering. Faced with identical destinies, these two men display stark contrasts, all for the simple reason that only one of them has found a way to love. Although the disease robbed both Morrie Schwartz and Ivan Ilych of hope for survival, their dissimilar lifestyles each led to very different ends. Morrie found himself gripped by a wave of compassion as he was surrounded by family, friends and colleagues. Ivan, on the other hand, found only the obligatory company of his wife and the painful awareness that no one really cared. Both characters ended their lives as they lived them, as Ivan acknowledges: "In them he saw himself" (Ivn, 149). While Morrie poured himself into every moment of life and every relationship he pursued, Ivan avoided the dangers of emotion to live “easily, pleasantly, and decorously” (Ivn, 115). In the spirit of such opposition, the two stories become somewhat like a response to each other. Morrie Schwatrz, proclaims...... middle of paper...... such books?All things considered, the answer is a confident "Yes." No law of literary comparison requires that the works in question have the same level of academic reputation. These two stories focus on death, the great equalizer, one of the most terrifying facts of human existence and one that we will all face one day. Although the paths vary, both characters ultimately encounter the same epiphany. Morrie savors much of his life understanding the "secret" while Ivan receives it only hours before he dies. What really matters, however, is that they both find it. Works CitedAlbom, Mitch. Tuesday with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Tolstoy, Leone. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" and other stories. Afterword by David Magarshack. Trans. JD Duff and Aylmer Maude. New York: NAL/Signet Classic, 1990.